- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Comedy
The Highway Rat
Part of Julia Donaldson & Axel SchefflerView the full series
Part of the Julia Donaldson universeOpen the collection
A rollicking rhyming highwayman parody with a wonderfully villainous rat and a very satisfying comeuppance.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Rhyming
- Repetitive
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Adventurous
- Exciting
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The Highway Rat gallops along the road stealing everyone else's food: clover from a rabbit, nuts from a squirrel, hay from his own horse and cakes from anyone unlucky enough to pass by. He is greedy, theatrical and very pleased with himself, until a clever duck finds a way to turn his own threats against him. Julia Donaldson's rhyme gives the story a bold ballad-like rhythm, while Axel Scheffler makes the Rat both villainous and comic rather than genuinely frightening. The pleasure is in watching a bully become ridiculous and justice arrive through wit rather than force. It is one of the more mischievous Donaldson/Scheffler books, with enough mock-danger to feel exciting and enough humour to keep it safe for young listeners.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 3–7
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny villain
- Rhyming read aloud
- Animal baddies
- Comeuppance
- Food jokes
Avoid if
- Very sensitive to baddies
- Prefers gentle low conflict books
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's modern rhyming classics — the gold standard of join-in read-alouds, ideal for prediction, sequencing and performing.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific kick is the refrain — 'Give me your buns and your biscuits!' is shouted, performed, repeated, and a four-year-old learns it by the third page. The villain is one of Donaldson's funniest because he's pompous rather than scary, and the duck's trick at the end is satisfyingly clever.
- Trickery and cleverness
- Having a nemesis
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The Donaldson with the most theatrical read-aloud — the Rat's refrain is built for performing, the rhythm is closer to a ballad than her usual rhyme, and the trick ending lands with proper villain comeuppance. Worth knowing if you have a child who likes loud, voicey bedtime books.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
- Nostalgia
In the series
Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler.
14 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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